Date:    Mon, 30 Mar 1998 10:33:53 -0500
<br>From:    Mark Mandel  Mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]DRAGONSYS.COM 
<br>Subject: gooseberry fool
<br>
<br>Barry Popik writes:
<br>     
<br>GOOSEBERRY
<br>
<br>     The RHHDAS has several entries for "gooseberry."  For the meaning "a fool,"
<br> the earliest date is 1890.  Other entries
<br>date from 1837.
<br>     
<br>
<br>What about "gooseberry fool"? This is a phrase I remember reading quite often in
<br> I don't remember what; grandmother's
<br>or elderly neighbor's or somebody's gooseberry fool. From context it was
<br> evidently a food, and in _American Heritage
<br>Dict._, 3rd edn., s.v. "fool", #6, I find:
<br>
<br>        A dessert made from stewed or pureed fruit mixed with cream or custard
<br> and served cold.
<br>
<br>Is there a connection here?
<br>
<br>       Mark A. Mandel : Senior Linguist : mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dragonsys.com
<br>    Dragon Systems, Inc. : speech recognition : +1 617 796-0267
<br> 320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02160, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com/
<br>           Personal home page: http://world.std.com/~mam/
<br>